what happens when keg warms up ?

Hello:

Say you have a keg all purged and pressurized in a kegerator, and the temp is just right (42 deg ?) ... and then ... the power goes out for say 3 days, and the keg temp rises ...

Is the keg recoverable once the power comes back ?? Assume it stays under pressure and there is no O2 in the equation ...just the temp changes .. I I guess the pressure wld change with the temp ..

comments ?

Chill it back down & it will be fine.

david_42 said:

Chill it back down & it will be fine.

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Not true. I can't even begin to describe he Off Flavors that this beer will have. Infections, Bugs, All types of Nasties. Just plain YUCK. Seeing as how you are in Southern, VT, you need to travel to Mid Western NH to properly dispose of this Keg. Weare, NH, to be exact. If I am not home, just place the Keg into my Kegerator. :cross:


Seriously though, no issues. Like Dave said. Just chill it back down and you'll be good to go.

When I recently moved, some of my kegs were not in the fridge for several weeks - they were in the garage (~60*) and they are still fine.

The same thing that happens when a bottle of beer goes from cold to warm to cold again - nothing.

It's pretty much the same thing - as long as it's sealed properly so no gas can escape, then nothing really changes.

Co 2 pressure in the keg should increase as (1) co2 comes out of solution as it's (and other gases too) are less soluble at warmer liquid temps and (2) will have greater kinetic energy when out of solution.

With regards to beer - no effects, except for maybe a slight decrease in carbonation(?).

Funkenjaeger said:

The same thing that happens when a bottle of beer goes from cold to warm to cold again - nothing.

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Never had it happen to a HB, but many BMC's will take on a very funky aftertaste when heat cycled. So much so that I would be willing to bet that I can pick it out a heat cycled BL blindfolded.

What about letting a beer age after cold crashing it @ 34F or so? If you keg the cold beer and let it condition at room temps for a few weeks before carbing and tapping?
Nothing bad will happen to the beer then?

For storage, the enviroment inside the keg is what matters most, not the temp as much. If you were sanitized properly, and clean CO2 or Aligal is the only thing introduced into the keg, you should be fine.

BMC (American) kegs are different and have a much shorter and much more delicate shelf life. Temperature control and exp. date monitoring are a must.

Imported kegs are pastureized and most can handle temp swings. A good amount of kegs are shipped warm from Europe, then chilled at the distributors. Newcastle & Murphy's Irish Stout used to have a clamp-on tower and cold plate system so bars could add a tap without taking up cooler space. The beer was delivered cold o the bar, and left on the ground (outside the cooler). Beer was chilled by cold plate prior to dispensing. We NEVER had a problem with off flavors or beer going bad.

Homebrew can be stored for long periods of time at ambient room temperatures. It is however not ideal to chill then warm the beer (keep it chilled once it is chilled). Even though it is not ideal, you should not experience any of the negative effects that would normally be associated with say a Miller Lite keg left to warm up.

You should be fine so RWHAHB